Page 69 of The Corruption of Hollis Brown

But Annie was really upset; her face was red like she was about to cry.

“You haven’t been . . . looking at me,” she said.

That one hurt. Walt made them look at Yulia instead: at the worry in the tilt of her mouth. Thought about the kiss on his forehead, how long she’d held his hand.

You can tell them.

What, why?

I’m tired. They care about you. It’s not like they can do anything about it anyway.

Walt, shut up. Just—

“Listen,” Hollis said. “This year has been really hard. Things aren’t getting better, and you guys are going to leave. I know I said I’d visit but, you know . . . things are going to change. You’re going off to do really cool things, you’re both going to be really successful. You’re the most talented person I know, Annie, and Yulia . . . you have access to the whole world.

“But I belong here. I have a job waiting for me somewhere out there doing hard work, and that’s fine.”

“But—” Annie started, but Hollis put up a hand.

“I said it’s FINE. But I can’t just . . . I have to be a part of this community if I stay. I can’t keep . . . being . . . the way I was being and be able to survive. People here survive because they work together, they know each other. They do each other favors because they like each other most of the time. It’s important.

“And maybe it’s stupid and too late, but I need to be a part of that. I need to try. And if that means I have to put in some extra effort, spend my nights doing research and work, think a bit harder about what I say to people, then that’s what I’ve got to do.”

The car was quiet. Yulia was gazing out the window at the urgent care center, and Annie was staring hard at him.

“James . . . James has been nice to me,” Hollis said. “Timothy too. Seeing James get so fucked-up about staying here made me feel . . . made everything feel like it was an emergency. Changing, I mean, becoming a better person. I’m not on drugs, Annie. I’m fine.”

Yulia pursed her lips. “Okay. That may be all well and good, but urgent care does same-day drug testing.”

“If we let him out of the car, he’s going to run,” Annie replied.

Hollis rolled his eyes. “Run where? There’s no bus stop out this far, and it’s like a forty-five-minute hike back home.”

Can we pass a drug test?

You shooting smack while I’m asleep?

What?! No. I’m just being careful. I don’t know how this shit works.

“Just, let’s go in and do the stupid test so we don’t have to have this conversation again. I’ll pay.”

Annie and Yulia flanked him on both sides as they headed into the center. He slapped his credit card down on the counter and splurged on the more comprehensive one.

He could feel Yulia and Annie making eye contact with each other, but neither of them said a word.

Hollow

They got into the car hours later. Hollis slid into the back seat and closed his eyes.

“I . . . genuinely didn’t think you’d pass,” Yulia said.

“Thanks for that,” Hollis said. “Thrilled with the way this lunch period went.”

“Stop being a bitch about it, we just care about you,” Annie snapped.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

They rode back quietly, Yulia’s acid jazz soaking up the tension.